Facing the “Cutting Edge:” Edge Site Engineering on 2D Materials for Electrocatalysis and Photocatalysis

Abstract

The utilization of 2D materials as catalysts has garnered significant attention in recent years, primarily due to their exceptional features including high surface area, abundant exposed active sites, and tunable physicochemical properties. The unique geometry of 2D materials imparts them with versatile active sites for catalysis, including basal plane, interlayer, defect, and edge sites. Among these, edge sites hold particular significance as they not only enable the activation of inert 2D catalysts but also serve as platforms for engineering active sites to achieve enhanced catalytic performance. Here it is comprehensively aimed to summarize the state-of-the-art advancements in the utilization of edge sites on 2D materials for electrocatalysis and photocatalysis, with applications ranging from water splitting, oxygen reduction, and nitrogen reduction to CO2 reduction. Additionally, various approaches for harnessing and modifying edge sites are summarized and discussed. Here guidelines for the rational engineering of 2D materials for heterogeneous catalysis are provided.